Pork Potsticker Dumplings

The other day I got a sudden strong urge to make Chinese dumplings. I don't know where this came from but I thought it would be worth a try! I found a great tutorial that broke down the process enough for me to feel like this might be achievable.

As you can see....my dumplings didn't turn out very beautiful. But, they tasted great and it was a fun experience making them!

Pork Potsticker Dumplings

Ingredients

For the pork filling:

1 lb. ground pork

4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced

3 stalks of green onions, minced

7 shitake mushrooms, minced

1/2 cup bamboo shoots, minced

1/4 cup ginger root, minced

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp cornstarch

For the dough:

4 cups plain flour

1 cup warm water

Extra flour for the work surface

Combine all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix throughly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour with 1/2 cup water and stir until the water is absorbed. Continue adding water one spoonful at a time and mixing throughly until the dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. You want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Knead the dough about 20 times then cover with a damp towel for 15min. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2-2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press your palm down on each piece to form a flat circle. With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break whilst cooking. Leave the centres a little thicker than teh edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper, leaving about a 1/2 inch margin. Fold the two ends of the dough together and pinch them tight. Move about 1/4 of the way down from the centre adn create a fold in the edge of the dough closest to you, fold it down and pinch it tight. Create a pleat in the dough. Repeat this 2-3 more times. When you get to the end, poke the end in and pinch shut.

Turn the dumpling around so the pleats face away from you and pleat toward the centre on the same side as the previously made pleats. The whole thing should curve into a concave crescent shape. Poke the end in and pinch the folds tightly to ensure the dumpling is sealed. A little water can be helpful in getting the pleats to stick together.

Lightly oil a cast iron skillet. Place dumplings in the pan, leaving a little space between each. Place over medium heat and fry 3-4 min. They will stick to the pan- DO NOT move them or the dumplings will rip.

Add about 1/2 cup of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. This will steam the dumplings. Cook for 7-9 min.

Remove the lid and cook off any remaining water. Once dry, the dumplings will easily release themselves from the pan. At this point, if desired drizzle the dumplings with soy sauce and fry for 30-60 seconds to form a slightly salty, caramelised crust. Promplty removed the dumplings from the pan and serve.

Makes about 80 dumplings.

Source: Use real butter